Game Program Feature: Hitting the Right Notes
11/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 28, 2011
This article was originally published in the Nov. 26 edition of Kickoff, the official gameday magazine of Wake Forest football.
By Brendan Bergen
Football and music aren't so different. There's a fine line between being off-key and having good pitch when it comes to making music, just like there's a difficult balance between locking down as a free safety and giving up a home run touchdown.
Five years into the Wake Forest football program, Josh Bush has come to understand the tight rope act each can present.
"You make one wrong step and thousands of people are going to notice it," said Bush, a statement which rings true in relation to both of his future aspirations.
This year, the redshirt senior has made fans aware of him in a positive way. He's been healthy all season, making his music on the side and recording his share of big plays for the Demon Deacons as one of many seniors that have saved their best season for last. Now, the communication major is starting to look forward to his post-college ambition of making a mark in the music industry.
"I've always kind of been behind-the-door," said Bush. "But I'm trying to get out of that stage."
His six interceptions have brought him into the gridiron spotlight this season and rank the safety second in the ACC and fourth nationally. Among many season highlights, the Lexington, N.C. native had a signature game when he picked off Notre Dame's Tommy Rees twice in a nationally-televised contest on Nov. 5 at BB&T Field.
Head coach Jim Grobe and his staff had a notion to move Bush back to his natural position at safety this season after using Bush primarily as a corner for the past two years. It's safe to say he's taken advantage of that decision. His 51 tackles are already a career-high and rank him seventh on the team.
"I'm definitely more comfortable at safety," Bush said. "If you're a corner and somebody asks you what sport you play, I don't even think you should say football. You should say, `I play corner.' It's a different sport. People don't realize it until they try to switch back and forth between those two positions."
Like most Wake Forest recruits, Bush redshirted in 2007 and began to make an impact during 13 starts in his second season. A shoulder injury caused him to miss out on the EagleBank Bowl in 2008 and since then he has played his way through various injuries throughout his sophomore and junior years.
"When I had surgery two years ago, some doctors didn't think I'd be able to play again because my collarbone would be too weak," said Bush. "You really just sit back and think about opportunity. I think when you get injured doing something you love, everything just flashes in front of you."
Fully healthy for the entire 2011 season, he has blossomed in 11 starts for the Deacons this season and is focused on not leaving anything on the table.
"It means a lot [to have such a successful senior season]. It's something that I have expected of myself throughout my playing career," said Bush. "But it really just makes me happy to see my teammates more happy about my success than I am myself." His fellow Deacons are also an encouraging force off the field, where several have collaborated with Bush on his music projects and many more have given him positive reviews.
"If football doesn't work out for him, music is definitely an option. He makes his own stuff in his closet in his apartment," said Cyhl Quarles, a fellow redshirt senior who plays alongside Bush at strong safety. "He makes his own beats, his own lyrics, he sings. He's very talented. He's kind of shy but when he does sing or bring in something he's produced, everybody listens."
Far from the only player belting out tunes in the Wake Forest locker room, he might be one of the few that actually does it well.
"They hear me singing and rapping in the locker room and they're telling me, `Josh you can do it,'" said Bush. "My teammates, they all love the music, they're really what inspired me to actually try to do something with it. That's kind of the approach I'm taking now."
Outside of Wake Forest, Bush is making connections with former Deacons at the professional level and trying to get his dream off the ground. One of them, most recently of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is former First Team All-ACC wide receiver Kenny Moore. The 2006 Wake Forest graduate and fifth-round NFL Draft pick spent two years with the Carolina Panthers, where he met running back Jonathan Stewart, who also produces his own music in his spare time.
"We linked up last summer and [Stewart] liked everything I did," Bush said. "So now we're just talking and trying to create a buzz about what we're doing off the field. Kenny's like the `Diddy' of the whole situation, so he's doing a lot of research and working even harder than I am right now."
Bush says he enjoys fashioning his music around everyday situations. He likes to convey stories, both his as well as other people's, and has generally thought of himself as more of a producer-type. But not always.
"Sometimes, when I hear stuff on the radio, it makes me want to be an artist," Bush said. "Because, in my head, I think I can do better."
Many athletes have tried their hand at a career in music and a lot of them would have been wise to stick to their sport of choice, but few actually have had the skills to create their own product. That's why teammates, like Quarles, can see Bush blazing a trail in the industry in the coming years.
He began getting interested in music in high school, wondering how the songs he heard on the radio were put together. Now, using his computer, audio equipment and his ears, he has produced dozens of songs and even has put together a ReverbNation webpage - where he goes by the name J. Bush - to share his work. The creation process for Bush, he says, is organic. He does not read sheet music and is self-taught on the keys, drums and guitar.
"I don't even know how to explain making it - you just hear things," Bush said. "You just come up with an idea and go with it."
Whether it's football or music after this fall, that pretty much sums up the veteran safety's take on life. He's prepared to go either direction, or another route entirely with his degree, but admits he isn't thinking about settling down to a 9-to-5 life anytime soon.
It's funny, just like a sticking with darting wide receiver or a capturing a fleeting song idea in the head, one must embrace life's opportunities when they are presented. Playing the secondary and making music aren't so different.
